Spring 1946

[joegrundman]

Japan digs in to defend against the Manchurian onslaught




Isolated Japanese divisions decimated in suicide attacks against Russian armor.

Japan doesn't let it worry him and continues with construction:

a fort in Mukden and has produced new AAF, ASW, army units.

Japan also builds 2 shipbuilding increases(up to 9) and 1 naval air training

[joegrundman]

Operation Severnyyveter


the russians waste no time getting down to business




Air combat neutralises the Japanese air at the cost of 5 Russian for 3 Japanese

In a new offensive, the port of Tientsin is captured by Communist Chinese forces

An enormous force of 8 ground and 12 air factors assault Harbin, whose defenses are partially reduced through limited supply at 2:1. It takes two assaults, but the city is captured by the Red Army without serious losses to the Soviets.

H28, with a 2o3 is also assaulted at 2:1 by the red army - but the first asssault is beaten back at 2 factors loss. Undeterred the Russians make a second attack - This time winning at the loss of another 2 factors, and place a breakthrough for armoured expliotation

The Russians also attempted to assault Port Arthur, but the river defenses work against the Russians. Surprise heavy rains turned the chosen fording location into a raging torrent and an entire T34 division was lost in the mud, bullets and water while crossing the Liao. in the end the Russians were successful, despite the losses.

Finally I29 was assaulted at overwhelming odds permitting an armoured column to exploit across the Baekdu mountains of Northern Korea up to the approaches of Seoul

[joegrundman]

Battle of the Makassar Strait





A Royal Navy Task Force patrolling the area just north of the Makassar Strait was ambushed by a Japanese carrier Task Force. Japanese scout planes made contact and 9 NAS struck the British, catching them by surprise before the British were even aware of the presence of the Japanese Task Force.

The Japanese planes approached low to evade the radar, before rapidly popping up to attack altitude, attaining a surprise level of 5.

Due to the surprise the Combat Air Patrol did not have time to fully form up and only 1 NAS got up to defend the Royal Navy

The Japanese peeled off 1 eNAS to attack at a mod of +2, shooting it down(rolling a 7). The British air did not abort any of the Japanese (rolling a 2)

The airdefense rolls a 7 on level 4 (3 for force size and 2 for air defense results, -1 for surprise) shooting down 1 nAS

The Japanese go in and target the carriers,2 NAS fro the three CVLs and 2 NAS for a BB3

The Japanese roll a 10 at +2, a 7at +2, and a 10 at +2 and a 3 at +1

The Battleships wasn't damaged, but all 3 light carriers were sunk by the Japanese bombers and torpedoes, the Illustrious, the Furious and the Courageous, along with the remaining 5 NAS

With the carriers sunk, the British battleships headed for home at full speed.

[joegrundman]

The allied submarines are again released on unrestricted warfare

But Japan has appreciated her vulnerability to submarines and developed effective ASW measures. Nontheless, the submarines do serious damage.

Allies

+3 air range, +3 torps = +6

Japan
+1 air range, +5 ASW = +6

0 mod, 8 submarines vs 10 ASW

submarines roll a 3: a 1/3 result

ASW rolls a 2: a 1/4 result

3 submarines get through and sink 3 more transports.

total losses: 4 transports sunk, 3 damaged for 1 submarine, leaving just 14 transports in service for the Japanese.

[joegrundman]

Invasion of Midway




three marine factors and three army factors with massive fleet support attack the extremely heavily defended island of Midway.

The fortifications have been weakened as a result of the submarine blockade

The total defense is 3-2,3-2,1m2 = 7x2 = 14 for defense

the beach is obviated by the marines, the fortification by the blockade

the attack = three 1n2, 2-2,1-2 = 6

24 air support factors from CVEs = 30
13 shorebombardment factors = 43

This overwhelming power comes to

3:1

Rolling a 3, the Japanese garrison is destroyed and Midway is back under allied control. Allied losses in the end were quite light, although the atoll itself has not a tree left standing.

[joegrundman]

Battle of Halmahera




The Japanese attempted to intercept the Allied invasion fleet with TF4 as it passed the straits between Sorong and Halmahera.

TF3 from Truk needing a 17, got a 17 on 4 dice.
TF 6 on patrol in the Makassar Strait also intercepted, needing a 5, and amazingly, rolling a 5, on 4 dice.

As intelligence reports on both sides filter through, panicked high commands on both sides realising a major engagement is about to take place order all uncommitted fleet assets to the area.

Combat Round 1.

The advanced Japanese units found the small American invasion force while most of the fleets were still steaming towards the engagment.

The Allied invasion force of only 10 factors: American DD2, British CA4 and the BB4 Prince of Wales was attacked by 8 NAS.

The allied fleet, informed that the Japanese were still a few days sail away were caught by surprise -

the 10 factors have an air defense of 2 (1 +2 air defense -1 surprise) and roll a 7. 1 NAS shot down, 7 NAS strike at +2 (1 for surprise, 1 for escorting an invasion force)

4 target the Prince of Wales at +2, rolling a 6, mod 8, 3 hits. The Prince of Wales is damaged!
3 target the light ships, rolling a 10! mod 12, 4 hits! A CA2 is sunk, a DD is sunk, a CA2 is damaged!

Combat Round 2

Two more allied Task Forces arrive in the battle area.

Japan has 3 search dice, the US has 4.

Japan rolls 1,2,5, finding the US CG1 and 2
US rolls 1,3,4,5 finding the Japanese CG1.

The Japanese are able to make a hidden strike on the US CG2, which is TF4.

The Japanese roll 5 on the surprise roll, which is modified to 4 for the radar. Only 2/3 of the allied CAP is formed up at the time of the Japanese air strike:

8 Japanese NAS fly in and face 3 American defending NAS. The surprise cancels the +1 CAP bonus so it's an even fight

3 squadrons peel off to attack the americans:

Japan rolls...3! a 1/0 result

US rolls.....3!(don't blame me, it's random.org!) a 1/0 result

7 squadrons face the air defenses:

3 for 25 factors, +2 for airdefense, +1 for the fearsome guns of the BB5 Ohio, -1 for the surprise=level 5. The guns roll a punishing 9! 2 NAS shot down

5 NAS get through and head for the flattops:

3 NAS target the CV3 Bunker Hill, 2 target the CV3 Concord, with a +2 mod for hitting carriers and +1 for surprise = +3

3 vs Bunker Hill roll 11! mod 14, three hits.
2 vs Concord roll 10, mod 13, 3 hits.

Both carriers are burning catastrophically

2 US air squadrons managed to land safely at Ambon, 3 were lost with the carriers

engagement between CG1s

4 NAS fly out to engage the Americans from CG1

The American TF3 is only lightly defended with aircover. 1 NAS engages the Japanese.

the American CAP has a +1 bonus

US rolls 7, mod 8
Japan rolls 7, mod 6

1 NAS shot down each, none aborted.

The american air defense are at level 6, 3 for forcesize, 2 air defense, 1 BB5 Louisiana. they roll a 10!

2 NAS shot down!

just 1 NAS gets through and targets the carrier at +2

a 9! mod 11! the CV3 BH Richard is damaged!

The fleets have closed to range,

the US task force is mainly modern battleships

BB5 Louisiana, BB4 S.Dakota, BB4 N. Carolina, BB2 Hawaii, BB2 Alaska, BB2 Philippines, CA2 and the damaged carrier BH Richard screened

The Japanese task force is TF 6 BC3 Kongo, BC3 Haruna, CA6, DD4, CV3 Kenei, CV3 Kasagi, CV3 Mikasa

The American CA2 engages 6 factors of light ships,

the BB5, a BB4 and a BB2 engage the Kongo
the other BB4 and two BB2 engage the Haruna

6 Japanese light factors target the CA2
The remaining Japanese 4 light ships and two BC3s target the BB5

The Americans roll 7 for the CA2, getting 1 hit and damaging a Japanese CA2
The Japanese roll 4 for CA6, also getting 1 hit and damaging the US CA2

The 10 US factors target the Kongo, rolling 7. 3 hits. A salvo from the Louisiana straddled the Kongo and one exploded below the waterline. The order to abandon ship was given after 45 minutes of struggling to stay afloat.

The 8 factors target the Haruna, rolling 7! 2 hits! The haruna is damaged and pouring smoke

10 japanese factors target the BB5 and roll a 12! ZOMG! First 12 in any naval battle!

with a -1 mod for a BB5, that's 4 hits! It was a Long Lance torpedo that struck the mighty battleship and blew the bow clean off.

for a natural 12 there is also a critical hit roll: 4! the ship passes it, no further damage.

Japan withdraws from battle

End of Battle of Halmahera

Newspapers from both sides are proclaiming victory in this encounter - with good reason. Yet again, the Japanese landed heavy blows, sinking two carriers and damaging one of the USNs most prized battleships, on top of the British CVLs and BBs earlier - but the allied invasion went through, and if there's one thing the allies aren't short of, it's carriers.

[joegrundman]

Construction

US increases Naval Air Training by 2 points to 8:
2 more marines
2 AAF
9 NAS
1 bomber
3 submarines
5 trasnports
2 ports

USSR produces 3 AAF, a 5o6 and another 3-3 and two more shock tactics brigades

[joegrundman]

Tokyo Conference

Tokyo leaders discuss whether the time is right to offer the alllies a full surrender:

Japan surrenders if the Japanese resistance drops to 0

+20 - basic Japanese level ============================20
+1 - per pacific front objective under Japanese control
(Guam, Okinawa,Truk, Kwajalein, Wake, Guadalcanal) = +6 =====26
+1 each for singapore,manila,
dacca, rangoon, calcutta, colombo= +6 =====================32
+2 india surrenders============+2=====================34
-3 allies control tokyo =0==============================34
-2 each for allies in Kagoshima or Osaka = 0================34
-3 for first japanese hex under allied occupation,
-2 for second, -1 for each thereafter =0 ===================34
-1 allied control Peking, Mukden, Shanghai, Harbin,
Nanking, Okinawa, Seoul, Canton = -1 ====================33
-3 for first atom bomb on japan, -2 for second, -1 for each thereafter =33
-1 for each firestorm on japanese city =====================33
-1 for each oil effect = 0===============================33
-1 for each 10 unbuilt ground/army air factors = - 2 ============31
+1 for each aleutian island ==============+1 =============32

The Japanese do not consider surrender at present.